Bike the Night 2019 with two kids & our Tern GSD S10

This was our fourth year at HUB Cycling's annual open streets event, Bike the Night. If you haven't heard of it, the nonprofit cycling organization plans a 10km route which is closed to motor vehicle traffic. There's a two hour event in the park ahead of the ride with music, lots of free samples, food trucks, free basic bike maintenance, & other goodies.

Bronte wanted to ride her own bike & Linny chose to come as a passenger on the back of our Tern GSD S10. We met up with some Vancouver Family Biking friends & rode together most of the route. Mostly with another family at our school, with six kids between us: three on our two cargo bikes, three kids on their own bikes. The other mom or I would have to stop occasionally for a kid's stuck derailleur, or to check on someone else along the route, or for one kid to stop to scratch under their helmet, then the other mom would zip off to try to keep up with the kids who were pedalling ahead.

This was easy for me with the Tern GSD, that thing is so much faster from a dead stop than me on the Bakfiets!

So not the most relaxing evening--is it ever really relaxing with six children between two parents?--but definitely enjoyable to have the streets just for us for an hour. Every year that we go, there are more children & more cargobikes on this ride. I like how the event has evolved over the years--my kids spent quite a bit of time at the Vancouver Aquarium booth, handling at their collection of  specimens, puppets, & getting an airbrush octopus tattoo. There were many snacks to be had, with Clif Bar people roaming the event & handing out free bars from a Metrofiets cargobike.

Bike the Night allows families & slower riders to start the ride a bit early, so we all headed up out of Sunset Beach Park lined up on We definitely had a lot of fun. If your kids can stay up that late, or sleep on your family biking setup, it's well worth going next year!

I made a little Instagram story, saved to my profile, about the whole experience, if you'd like to head over there to watch the video. :)

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6 Things to Do with Kids at the Vancouver Christmas Market

We've been going to the Vancouver Christmas Market since the beginning, back in 2010, which is also when Linny was born. This will be his eighth & Bronte's fifth year going to the market & I'm looking forward to taking them during the holidays because the Vancouver Christmas Market has introduced even more interactive & family-friendly activities this year. 

Here's the list of six things to do with the kids at the 2017 Vancouver Christmas Market:

1. Visit Santa Claus: Take a special journey with your kids and deliver those Christmas wish lists to Santa Claus in person. Santa will be taking time out of his busy toy-making schedule to visit the market at the Photo Hut each evening. Complete with beautiful lights & festive feels, kids can experience a magical fantasy world as they sit on Santa’s knee, pose for photos and share their Christmas wishes. Santa & Mrs. Claus will be at the Photo Hut daily from 5pm-9pm, & from 2pm-6pm on December 24 as he has a special job to attend to that night.
2. Take a ride on the Christmas Carousel: No childhood is complete without taking a whirl aboard Vancouver’s only Christmas carousel. But it’s not just for kids. The whimsical woodland creatures & nostalgic music will trigger some of your fondest childhood memories. You must be at least 2 years of age & 36 inches tall to ride the carousel. Tickets cost $3.   
3. Meet Holly & Jolly: Everybody’s favourite gingerbread mascots, Holly & Jolly will be on hand spreading festive joy throughout the market once again. The delightful duo love to dance around with visitors, give big warm hugs & pose for silly selfies.
4. Kinderhut Hunt & 4Cats Crafts: New to this year’s Vancouver Christmas Market, children & adults alike will delight in arts & crafts activities at six Kinderhuts throughout the market. Thanks to our friends and partners, 4Cats, your little ones can write a postcard to Santa, create spin-art snowflakes, build their own snowmen & more. But the fun doesn't end there. Complete the Kinderhut Scavenger Hunt by collecting a stamp from all six huts to receive a free ride on the magical Christmas Carousel. Maps are available at the Info Hut.
5. Gingerbread Decorating: One of the best parts of the holidays is the sweet scent of gingerbread that fills the air. So, if you’re looking to create a Christmas tradition that your kids will always remember, come on down to the Gingerbread Haus. Purchase a decorating kit containing a gingerbread cookie, & adorn it with sprinkles, smarties, marshmallows & other sweet treats. Once you’ve created your delicious delight, store it in a free container to keep your cookie nice & fresh.
6. Warm up with some Kinderpunsch: Just what its name translates to - Kids' punch. After all, warm & spicy drinks like aren’t just for adults. This alcohol-free hot punch made with herbal tea, fruit juices & spices will warm the cockles of your heart. Perfect for a brisk winter’s eve, kinderpunsch is available at Das Apfelhaus. 

For more info on food & drinks at the market, check out Eating My Way Through the Vancouver Christmas Market.

The Vancouver Christmas Market is on til December 24 at Jack Poole Plaza, next to the Vancouver Convention Centre, surrounding the Olympic Cauldron. It's easy to reach by transit--near Waterfront Station & the #19 bus route. Biking there is a cinch as well--the seawall & the Hornby bike route lead there. There isn't any additional bike parking for the event, but you can generally find a rack nearby at the convention centre, or the office building across the street. Tickets are $5-10, free for kids under six years old.

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7 Things to See & Do at #FamilyFUSE at the Vancouver Art Gallery

When was the last time you brought your kids to the Vancouver Art Gallery? If you're worried that they might not get super excited about Emily Carr paintings or Scandinavian design influences on Canada, you should bring them to Family FUSE weekend November 25 – 26, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm.

Family FUSE is a monthly event at the Vancouver Art Gallery that features extra hands-on activities specifically for kids & their families that explore the concepts from the works on display in the gallery. Another thing that makes Family FUSE is that unlike many events designed FOR kids, children 12 & under are FREE with adult admission.

This weekend's Family FUSE theme is The Action of Expression, exploring the variety of ways that artists’ ideas & stories are revealed through the magic of materials. You'll get inspired by artists, performers & musicians, & join our many Art Agents & Educators for a truly engaging weekend of family fun!

This art-infused weekend is organized in conjunction with the Gallery’s fall exhibitions: Portrait of the Artist: An Exhibition from the Royal Collection; Carol Sawyer: The Natalie Brettschneider Archive; Entangled: Two Views on Contemporary Canadian Painting; Gordon Smith: The Black Paintings; True Nordic: How Scandinavia Influenced Design in Canada; & Emily Carr: Into the Forest.

Don’t let the rain dampen your weekend plans! Join us for #FamilyFUSE, Nov 25 & 26, as we turn the Gallery into a space bursting with ideas and action. Kids and their families will experiment with a variety of materials in hands-on workshops and find new ways to express themselves through art and movement with artists, educators and live performers. FREE for Gallery Members and kids 12 & under.👆🏼 … #repost of @holly.alison’s students mesmerized by #NeilCampbell’s eye-catching work in #EntangledTwoViews 👀

A post shared by Vancouver Art Gallery (@vanartgallery) on Nov 21, 2017 at 9:49am PST

Seven Things to See & Do at Family FUSE

1. Self portraits--the original selfie. Explore self-portraiture with artist & art educator Kate Dawson at the Self-Portrait Sketch Station, which is inspired by the Gallery’s exhibition Portrait of the Artist: An Exhibition from the Royal Collection. Using mirrors to sketch their very own self-portrait, participants will investigate various painting styles & decide how they want to represent themselves to the world.
2. Make art with light. Responding to the fictionalized artist in the Gallery’s exhibition Carol Sawyer: The Natalie Brettschneider Archive, participants will play with light sources & everyday materials in a workshop with artist Carol Sawyer. By using shadow-play, alter egos will emerge!  
3. Watch some films & make one too. Relax & take in a film screening programmed from the Festival of Recorded Movement, a Vancouver-based youth-focused film festival. These short films will engage & inspire audiences by bringing movements like dance, surfing, skateboarding & physical theatre into new perspectives. Afterward, participants can create their own unique movement-based film in a drop-in-experiment with Vancouver-based interdisciplinary media artist Sammy Chien.
4. Create a masterpiece. Draw on the expertise of Vancouver-based mixed-media artist Colleen Heslin at The Mark Making Place & experiment with printing, painting and collage. Participants will transform raw canvases into a painting that they’ll be able to take home.
5. Selfie time! At The Digital Making Place, explore the age of the selfie! Using an iPad, participants will be able to take the time to paint a selfie rather than simply taking one with the click of a button.
6. Scavenger hunt. Responding to the paintings in Entangled: Two Views on Contemporary Canadian Painting, soak in an improvisional vocal performance by one of Canada’s most experimental vocalists DB Boyko, accompanied by one of the country’s premiere Jazz pianists, Paul Plimley. Also join our curious & informed team of Art Agents in Entangled’s exhibition space & learn new ways to look & understand painting as families hunt for different materials used throughout the exhibition.
7. Get up & MOVE. Learn how to perform without language—through gesture & movement alone. Actor Paul Moniz de Sá will teach a range of improv methods that he has been using to develop his own unique characters since the 1998, most recently playing the Meatdripper in Steven Spielberg’s BFG. 

For more information, please visit the Vancouver Art Gallery Family FUSE Weekend page.

I'm really looking forward to bringing the kids to Family FUSE this weekend. We've brought the kids a few times, from age two onwards & it's been a lot of fun! Check out what we get up to on Instagram @spokesmama, & join the conversation using #FamilyFUSE on your 'grams.

Emoji button making station @vanartgallery #familyfuse #letsmashup

A post shared by Lisa Corriveau (@spokesmama) on Mar 5, 2016 at 1:31pm PST

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Kids Day at CBC Musical Nooners

Looking for something to do the first week in August? Kids' Day at Musical Nooners is back on August 2nd! If you haven't already, the concerts are family-friendly & a great way to introduce children to live music concerts. The best part? It's all free!

August 2nd at Will Stroet of Will’s Jams from CBC Kids will be on stage to delight young fans & their parents alike. Guests can mingle with Scout from CBC Kids’ & Parka from Parks Canada, make creations at the craft centre & participate in an adventurous scavenger hunt.

If you're busy on the 2nd, there's also Aché Brasil on August 15th. This concert is a great way to introduce children to music from different countries, the group takes over the CBC Vancouver Musical Nooners stage with exciting music, cultural dance, & breath-taking acrobatics.

CBC is putting on 35 concerts in total -- there'll be amazing music all summer long. Now in its 8th year, the CBC Vancouver’s Musical Nooners free concert series runs Monday - Friday, from noon to 1pm, at the CBC Broadcast Centre at 700 Hamilton Street (between Robson & Georgia) from July 7th – August 25th.

For more information on the Musical Nooners series & CBC in British Columbia, go to www.cbc.ca/bc or follow them on Twitter @CBCVancouver or #musicalnooners.

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